Health & Fitness
WELLNESS
H RY FORD
Or. Brent Davidson and his
staff prepare for new moth-
ers in the Birthing Center.
Labor, delivery, recovery and
postpartum care take place I
one room. Dad, a relative or a
friend cal spay overnight with
Mother atkel‘baby, so families
Can begin bonding.
The Senior Center is a multiplex of medicine.
I
n Michigan, nearly 1.3 million
people are age 65 or older. With the
oldest of the baby boomers now in
their 60s, the senior population is rapid-
ly growing and beginning to experience
some of the most common health prob-
lems associated with aging — memory,
balance and pain.
These issues can be difficult to diag-
nose, and often require multiple visits
to a variety of medical specialists.
Along the way, seniors wait months for
answers, and may even be prescribed
multiple medications from various
health care experts, which could do
more to harm than help their health.
But Henry Ford West Bloomfield
Hospital is hoping to change that by get-
ting seniors the care — and the answers
— they need quickly.
Henry Ford has created the Senior
Center at the Neuroscience Institute,
B2
March 12 • 2009
which offers a one-stop shop for seniors
to help rapidly diagnose and create a
treatment plan for some of the most
common and complicated disorders that
affect the elderly. Leading the center are:
Dr. Mark Rosenblum, M.D., vice presi-
dent, Clinical Programs, Henry Ford
West Bloomfield Hospital, and chair
of the Department of Neurosurgery at
Henry Ford Hospital; and Dr. Rhonna
Shatz, D.O., director of Behavioral
Neurology, Henry Ford Medical Group.
The Senior Center setup avoids the
common problem of seniors and their
family members needing to travel to
multiple appointments with various
medical specialists over the course of
weeks or months to diagnose a medi-
cal issue. Trying to diagnosis a complex
case can often have a family driving all
over town for a span of six months or
more.
At the Senior Center, a team of Henry
Ford Medical Group physicians work
together to evaluate, diagnose and
present patients with a treatment plan
within one week or less.
When patients arrive for an appoint-
ment, a geriatric specialist collaborates
with a pharmacist to evaluate the
Dr. Rosenblum
Dr. Shatz
patient. The pharmacist reviews all
medications the patient is taking, not
just the ones a Henry Ford physician is
prescribing. Because prior specialists
may add different medications, a review
and adjustment of medications by the
pharmacist can alleviate symptoms.
The patient has the opportunity to
meet with up to seven additional Henry
Ford specialists in one appointment, for
a rapid diagnosis and treatment plan
in a matter of days. Specialties in this
area will include geriatrics, neurology,
neurosurgery, orthopedics, behavioral,
ear, nose and throat (ENT) and ophthal-
mology.
Henry Ford also has two nationally
recognized experts for the treatment of
Parkinson's disease, Jason Schwalb and
Peter LeWitt.
A patient who fell after feeling dizzy,
for example, may have joint or muscle
issues, an inner ear problem, a neu-
rological disorder or a heart problem.
To find out which problem may be
to blame, the patient will meet with
medical experts who specialize in
orthopedics, neurology and ENT in one
appointment.
Once the patient's test results are
back, a team of doctors and support
professionals will meet to discuss their
findings and make treatment recom-
mendations.
The treatment team includes physi-
cian specialists, therapists, social work-
ers and nurses.
Within about a week's time, the
patient and his or her family will be
called back to the Senior Center for a
family conference.
The team presents findings, makes
treatment recommendations and
answers questions. The team col-
laborates with referring physi-
cians, families and community
resources such as the Alzheimer's
Association for inclusion with
these individualized treatment
plans.
"By embracing the concept
of team medicine, Henry Ford
Medical Group physicians and
local private practice physicians
have a unique opportunity to
work together to provide high
quality, safe, compassionate care
says Dr. Rosenblum. ❑